Obituary of Lissa Beauchamp Desroches

The family of Dr. Lissa Beauchamp Desroches is bereft to announce her death after her three-year battle with breast cancer. She died 5 days after her 49th birthday on May 6, 2020, in the caring setting of the Fredericton Hospice with her husband, Dennis, by her side. Born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario, Dr. Beauchamp received her PhD in English Language and Literature from McMaster University in Hamilton. She was an English Professor at St. Thomas University in Fredericton for some 15 years, during which time she taught hundreds of students. She always had a dedicated following of students who admired her intellect, generosity, and sense of humour—she was known to go out of her way to assist and work with students, and mentored many students into graduate programs across the country. Prior to teaching at STU, she had taught at several other universities, including UBC, McMaster, UNB, and St.FX. Her facility with language and literature was only matched by her remarkable ability with the knitting needles, whose superb creations she shared with her family, her friends, and her colleagues. She is survived by her husband, Dennis Desroches, and daughter Marie-Zéline (Zélie); her sister Chantal Collins (Kirk) and nephews Lucas and Liam; her father, Pierre Beauchamp (Marcia), and her half-siblings Loretta, Michael, Philippe, Joseph, and Alex; her mother, Linda Beauchamp; her aunt, Bonnie Dillon, and cousins Jeremy and Erin. She is further survived by her mother and father-in-law, Roberta and Bernard Desroches, her brother-in-law Mike (Marlene), and nieces Anna and Mikayla. She is predeceased by her grandmother, Oralay Barks, and her niece, Natasha (Mike and Marlene). We know that her loss will be nothing short of visceral for a long time to come, but that the memory of her infectious smile and generous spirit will, one fine day, overcome the enormous pain of her untimely death. Current restrictions on gatherings due to the pandemic preclude, for the moment, a celebration of her life. An announcement for this event will be made for friends and family when it becomes feasible to do so. Please consider, in lieu of flowers to the family, a donation to Fredericton Hospice. The humanity and care afforded Dr. Beauchamp in her final days and hours by the incredible nurses at Fredericton Hospice gave tremendous peace and comfort to her and to her husband, but also to the many members of her family who wanted to be present with her but who could not be because of the pandemic. Please support their compassionate frontline work.